What I learned

After completing the amazing cross-country road trip with my family, I wanted to reflect on the highlights of the trip.

Before I forget, during the trip we stopped at 22 different playgrounds, we saw 23 bicycle tourists (in Canada only) and 1 hiker tourist.

A lot of people have asked what my favourite part of the trip was but it is so hard to choose just one thing. I loved seeing friends, the beautiful scenery, and the incredible activities we did. I especially liked spending time with my family. My husband and I make an amazing team, and it’s always nice to be reminded of how well suited we are for one another. My daughters grew and learned and I was able to witness their growth. Our dog is the sweetest companion anyone could ask for. As a family, we bonded in ways that are hard to describe. I truly hope this trip created a precedent that will be repeated.

The most difficult thing about the trip was (perhaps obviously) when the girls were whining in the car. This often happened after they’d woken up from a nap, but we still had an hour or two ahead of us. My worst fear was that someone would get sick or that we’d have car problems, but luckily other than the dog vomiting one day, we were fine.

Finally, I learned and was reminded of how simple life can be. I learned to be more flexible, living without a schedule, but I’m not sure I can keep it up! We also brought just what was necessary, and really, we don’t need much more than that! Also, kind of randomly, I’ve decided I will no longer be eating baby animals (veal, lamb, etc.) because they are just too cute! And poor mommy animals who have to be separated from their young… I may become vegetarian if I think about it for too long!

I hope you enjoyed reading about our adventure. If you want to do something similar don’t hesitate to ask me about it. And if you’re on the fence - just do it! It’s a lot easier than people think it is!

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Day 24: Montreal, Quebec

Last night after I posted we had to complain about the noise at the hotel we were at as the next door neighbours were partying! On top of it all they had a baby crying in their party, it was weird. They finally were quiet and we got a good night sleep. It was so nice to wake up to the beautiful scenery of trees and water, it was very serene. We had breakfast in Blind River at a restaurant called Seventeen, it was uneventful. We desperately had to buy baby wipes as we ran out last night, so we stopped for those and continued our journey.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at a playground in Sturgeon Falls.

We arrived in Ottawa in time to have a late dinner with our friends A&R. It was so nice to catch up. We had conversations about our trip and their future all while enjoying delicious food.

Montreal is only two hours away from Ottawa so we carried on after dinner hoping the girls would sleep in the car. Z did just fine, but baby A cried (really hard 😢) for the last half hour of the trip! I guess she was just done with being in a car seat, especially to sleep in. We had the most wonderful adventure and I have lots to say about what I learned and what I liked most and least, but it’ll have to wait as it is very late and I am exhausted.

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Beautiful Great Lakes!

Beautiful Great Lakes!

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Day 23: Blind River, Ontario

Whew! Another full day of driving! We had breakfast at Tim Horton’s in Nipigon and head out. During this trip, we’ve seen many wild animals, including bison, deer, geese, falcons, and a moose, but this morning, my husband saw a bear! It was walking along a side road and we drove past so quickly I didn’t get a chance to see it, but it’s exciting to know it was there!

We stopped for lunch at White River, where apparently Winnie the Pooh is from (the actual bear, not the story). Unfortunately it was raining so the girls weren’t able to play in the park, but the food was pretty good. We ate at a local diner.

Our next stop was very short but we just had to step out of the car and put our feet in the water of Lake Superior. We stopped at Batchawana Bay provincial park at a little beach. It was incredibly beautiful and calm.

We had dinner in Sault Sainte Marie. It was one of the best meals of the trip! I am definitely going to try to recreate it at home. I had salmon with spinach, red peppers, goat cheese and a dried tomato sauce. There was a live singer there and it was interesting to me that my husband and I had both created mental images of the guy based on just his voice.

We are sleeping at a beautiful motel on Lake Huron, I can’t wait to see it in the morning, as we actually have our own dock on the water!

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Day 22: Nipigon, Ontario

We are so close yet so far! Ontario highways are small (usually one lane each way) and 90km/h speed limit, which makes it seem like we are going so slowly (especially compared to Montana’s 80 mph!). Anyway, in the car today, as with most days, I was the snack manager and entertainment provider. Before our journey started, I had planned all the toys, and now what entertains the girls is ripping paper, saying “Maman” over and over again (we counted 6 times in one minute) and poo and pee jokes (au clair de la lune, mon ami caca).

We stopped at a beautiful spot for a picnic lunch right beside these gorgeous falls. We all dipped our feet in the cool water.

We stopped for dinner in Thunder Bay. We were hoping to find a restaurant near the water, since Lake Superior is spectacular, but all we found was McDonald’s! We drove for about an hour more and Husband saw the mark point where Terry Fox’s journey ended 😢. We are staying in a roadside motel tonight as the weather forecast was very cold and we didn’t want to risk being too cold in the tent.

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Day 21: Falcon Lake, Manitoba

I’m in a much better mood than yesterday. Today was an amazing day! After our yummy camping oatmeal, we set out towards Winnipeg - Z thought this was hilarious since her daycare educator’s name is Winnie. We stopped for gas and then at a rest stop for a picnic lunch. In case you are wondering, our lunches on the way to Vancouver were always peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so we got kind of sick of that! For the last two days we’ve made wraps with tortillas, hummus and sprouts. Tomorrow we have those ready-made tuna salads for lunch. I’m actually excited to try them!

I don’t remember ever having been to Manitoba, let alone Winnipeg, although I my have been when I was a child. It is prairie-flat. Winnipeg was a nice city. We stopped at a park in a French neighbourhood and we’re kind of surprised to hear the kids speaking French. We then stopped at Starbucks and drove on for another hour or so. There was a moment today when my husband and I sang along to the radio to the Backstreet Boys and Alanis Morissette, I think that was the highlight of my day!

We arrived at a provincial campground and the girls and I played in the playground while the husband prepared the tent and dinner (dinner consists of a can of hearty soup and crackers).

I was a bit worried that this trip (being so long in the car) would have a negative effect on baby A’s motor development, but I am happy to report she is now crawling on all fours! And she always wants to walk while holding our hands and gets mad when we set her down.

No internet yesterday (we were over our monthly data plan limit!) but this morning we woke up so well-rested and so late!

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Day 20: Indian Head, Saskatchewan

We’re camping right outside of Regina. We arrived here at 7pm and still had to set the tent and make dinner and everything. Now it’s 8:30pm and both girls are still awake and I’m feeling frustrated!

I’d say this was the hardest day so far. The beginning went well, we stopped in Medicine Hat for lunch at a park with a nice picnic area. We stopped again in Moose Jaw for a playground break and discovered Taco (the dog) had thrown up! Thankfully it wasn’t all over our stuff, but still. We were all dehydrated so we stopped at a gas station to fill up water bottles. Then we trekked on until here.

Tomorrow is another day. Hoping it’ll be better!

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Day 19: Calgary, Alberta

This morning, we did some laundry, grocery shopping and cleaned the car since we will be back on the road tomorrow.

We had lunch with M and her adorable daughter S. I am so proud to call her my friend, she is one of the best people in the world!

After a quick stop at the cemetery, we headed to the wave pool. This was one of the places I revisited from my childhood that actually improved! There were slides and a play structure and it was just awesome. When the waves started, we were surprised and both girls cried, but we were able to distract them. Then Z chose to go number two right when husband went on the biggest water slide (worse timing ever!). So here I was with both kids and I was trying to maneuver Z’s swimsuit off. Finally the husband came back and took A so I could finish helping Z. We finished our visit with a dip in the hot tub.

We had another amazing feast with A&A. We are so thankful to have such great friends!

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Day 18: Calgary, Alberta

Our adventure at the Calgary Zoo was both satisfying and disappointing. We walked through the dinosaur section and after I had told Z that they were just statues that didn’t move, the dinosaurs started moving and making sounds! Thankfully Z wasn’t scared and understood they weren’t real. It was a better experience than what I remembered as a child. A baby gorilla was born at the zoo in March and we were able to see it roll over, it was absolutely adorable! There were many other very active animals today: the lions walked around and nudged each other, the rhinoceros was eating, the bears were eating and playing in the water, etc. This is much better than I remembered animals just laying around not doing very much.

Now here’s the disappointing part, starting with the least disappointing. My husband went to get us all ice cream and I asked for a soft serve vanilla cone and he thought it was for the toddler so instead of a cone I got the ice cream in a cup. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I’ve discovered I only like soft serve ice cream in a cone, it just wasn’t the same in a cup. Now here’s the worst: my favourite animals are elephants. I especially like the ones at the Calgary Zoo because one of them, Maharani, was born when I was 6 years old or so and I remember her growing up. I’m sure you were able to guess the elephants are no longer at the zoo! They were relocated to Washington, DC in 2013 😢

After the zoo, the girls fell asleep in the car so we decided to drive around. We went by the house I grew up in, and then my friends’ houses they grew up in. While there, I stopped to see my friends’ moms. It was great to see them!

Finally, we had dinner with good family friends. It was so nice to see them and reminisce over old photos of our hikes!

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At the (disappointing) Devonian Gardens

At the (disappointing) Devonian Gardens

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Day 17: Calgary, Alberta

We met up with some good friends for brunch this morning at the Buffalo Cafe at Eau Claire Market. It was wonderful to see them again. After breakfast we walked to Prince’s Island Park and saw many goslings. They were adorable!

After parting ways with our friends, we walked towards Stephen Avenue and then went into the Scotia Center and I forget the name of the next one over, where the Devonian Gardens are. I bought some new shoes and socks. The gardens were soooo disappointing 😢. They’ve renovated and it’s all very sterile looking. I remember as a kid, it felt like a jungle in there with the wood paths and bridges, the ponds and the plants. Now even the playground they installed is modern, not at all like the old wooden one they had in there. Anyway, things are bound to change I guess.

Next we had a snack: Purdy’s ice cream for my husband and Z, and a frappucino for me (baby A just got milk, haha).

We stopped at another mall on the way home so my Husband bought shoes too.

We had dinner with A&A again (seriously they are the best hosts!) and A’s mom and sister came too. It was nice to see them again.

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Day 16: Calgary, Alberta

Just quickly because it’s wayyyy past my bedtime: I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends! Went to M&D’s for lunch - he’s a real cowboy and she’s an interior designer and their house is just amazing, it could be featured in a magazine, it’s such a cool space!

We went to Chestermere’s beach this afternoon, Z&A loved playing in the sand.

Had a BBQ at A&A’s tonight with great friends, we played catchphrase and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company.

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At the Royal Tyrell Dinosaur Museum

At the Royal Tyrell Dinosaur Museum

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Day 15: Calgary, Alberta

What amazing hosts we have! A&A are treating us as if we were royalty or guests at a five star resort! We woke up to a full golden goblet breakfast which included pancakes, fruit, bacon, eggs and toast.

We met with our friends M&D at the Royal Tyrell Museum today and got to meet their four month old S for the first time! She is such an adorable baby. When we first arrived at the museum, we had a picnic outside and all of these gophers surrounded us - one even tried to climb on my leg! They really were not afraid of humans and must have been fed often, though there were signs that clearly stated wildlife should not be fed. We toured the museum, which as as impressive as it was in my childhood memories. It is truly unfathomable to think that dinosaurs roamed the earth, and then to think paleontologists found the bones and were able to assemble them together. All of that comes together in this museum where many fossils are exposed. We couldn’t resist buying the kids face cloths with their “dinosaur” names on them when we were finished our visit.

We had dinner at Boston Pizza’s with A&A, where baby A fell asleep in her high chair!

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A few pictures from the mountains

A few pictures from the mountains

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Day 14: Calgary, Alberta

To be precise, we are staying in Chestermere with our friends A&A, but Calgary is close enough. We had a great day today. Our cabin was very comfortable last night, it felt like glamping, being nice and warm and out of the rain yet in the middle of the woods at the same time. Breakfast was great and we got to chat with an Austrian girl and a girl from Quebec City.

As we drove towards Lake Louise it started snowing! Quite the difference from the beautiful weather in Vancouver and Montana. At Lake Louise we took a few pictures and then had lunch at the Chateau! It was delicious.

The drive towards Calgary reminded me so much of my childhood, I loved the familiarity of it. The mountains are so majestic and just fill me with such a feeling of strength, it is truly awe-some.

Our friends had prepared a wonderful dinner for us and the girls were really well-behaved. Z still has her fear of other dogs (this one’s a chihuahua, but she’s terrified!) and needs to be in our arms a lot. She also fell asleep in my arms, holding on to me with a death grip, it took me five tries before I could leave the room. Hopefully the night goes well!

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Day 13: Golden, British Columbia

I really enjoy blogging as it forces me to look at my day and at what I see as uneventful and find the interesting moments.

We’re back on the road again. We left Vancouver quite late at 10am, since packing up with two little ones playing at the same time is not that easy.

We stopped in a small town called Hope for a picnic lunch at a school playground. We had perfect timing as the girls played for a bit, we are, and then the students came running out for their recess and we had to pack up and leave. It also started drizzling right around the same time.

The drive to Revelstoke was beautiful. Despite the gray and rainy weather, the majestic mountains took our breath away. We had dinner at a place called Taco Club and it was one of the best dinners of the whole trip! I had a yam burrito and all of the flavours blended so well together, it was amazing.

The road from Revelstoke to Golden is known as Roger’s Pass. I remembered this from my childhood as there are a few tunnels to go through. My husband and I would hold our breath through each tunnel but they weren’t that long. We also saw a few trains go by. At one point a sign said “Caution: Bear on road”. Let me tell you we had our eyes peeled and my camera was ready, but we didn’t see anything.

We are sleeping in a cozy cabin in Golden tonight (the rain and cold are not good camping weather), and breakfast is included tomorrow morning. We are looking forward to seeing friends in Calgary tomorrow!

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Vancouver: aquarium and sunset

Vancouver: aquarium and sunset

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Day 12: Vancouver, British Columbia

We are seriously so lucky! Today was another beautiful day. The weather has been seriously amazing.

We started our day with breakfast at Matchstick coffee, which was delicious but also a little pretentious (as in we didn’t feel cool enough to be there). The reason we ate out is also kind of interesting. Last night when my husband ventured out to walk the dog and pick up a few things for breakfast, he ran into the notorious Hastings street corner. As It is quite unnerving to see people use hard drugs in broad daylight, he didn’t make it to the convenience store, hence the restaurant for breakfast.

We arrived at the Vancouver Aquarium right when it opened. It was so exciting to see A and Z’s face light up as they saw the fish in the aquariums. We explored and also caught a beluga show with a big splash ending! It was really fun and I highly recommend you go if you are in Vancouver! We also ate our lunch there.

After over 5000km of driving we were due for an oil change, so we dropped the car off and walked to my husband’s friends new brewery. It actually hasn’t opened yet but if you are in Vancouver look out for Faculty Brewing, it should open in June and will be awesome! We had a beer with him and it was nice to catch up.

Dinner was on a patio on the water again, at a restaurant called Mahony’s and Sons, with M&K. We are sure going to miss being able to go for dinner with these two multiple times a week. It has been so nice! Watching the sun set was incredible.

As we got home, we saw some filming going on near the Airbnb we are staying at.

We have had an amazing time in Vancouver!! Tomorrow we’ll be back on the road again!

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Day 11: Vancouver, British Columbia

Oh my goodness, I haven’t been this tired in a looong time! We walked over 10km today!

After breakfast we went for a walk with Taco to the Chinese garden near the place we are staying.

Our next stop was Science World. It was so fun to explore! We spent over five hours there! There was a little science show we watched, then had lunch, then explored all the rooms and outside playground.

Then we decided to go to MEC so the girls would have a nap. It was a good idea in theory and in practice the girls did sleep, but we walked for what seemed like forever! We stopped in a few stores and my husband got a sunhat.

We stopped at a cafe to have dinner on the way back. Right now I am lying in bed listening to baby A squeal and laugh. They have discovered that they can play together now. It’s super cute when they make each other laugh and chase each other around… But it’s not so cute at bedtime.

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Pictures from Granville Island and Happy Mother’s Day!

Pictures from Granville Island and Happy Mother’s Day!

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Pictures from Granville Island and Happy Mother’s Day!

Pictures from Granville Island and Happy Mother’s Day!

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Day 10: Vancouver, British Columbia

Today was another great day! We toured Granville Island. On our way there we saw a terrible car accident - a car went into a statue; it seemed horrible. When we got to Granville Island, our first stop was the public market, where I already felt like I wanted to buy everything. We then walked along the streets to the different artists stores. We stopped in front of a really cool 3D mural. Our typical park break came next, where Z ran around for a bit. By this time we were all hungry so we went back to the public market for some bagels. The Kid’s market was next… Oh my goodness you guys it is the best place ever!!! There were so many educational toys, I wanted to buy things for my girls, their friends and my students. I really had to hold back and didn’t buy anything. I did get a nice sun hat though, since my face burned yesterday and I don’t want that to happen again. The last cool store we went into was a broom shop. You read that right - a place where they make and sell brooms!

Z fell asleep in the car so Husband stayed with her as I went to the apartment with baby A. Z slept for over two hours 😝. My poor husband was stuck sitting in the car waiting while I watched a movie. We went for a walk with the dog after and picked up some delicious pizzas for dinner. We also stopped by a park (I should count the number of different parks we’ve played in - it’s a lot!). My friend M came over for dinner and we tried to get the girls to sleep a little bit earlier tonight.

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Picnic at Second Beach in Stanley Park

Day 9: Vancouver, British Columbia

What a beautiful day! It was nice and sunny and we enjoyed being outside for most of the day. First, we went to Second Beach for a picnic with our friends M&K.

We then walked along the sea wall and through Stanley Park. At one point, we tried to pay for parking from our phones and it wasn’t working so Husband ran back to the car while I continued with baby A on my back and pushing toddler Z in the stroller. It was tiring but rewarding. Z enjoyed the playground for a bit and then we headed back to our Airbnb.

We had dinner at M&K’s place, which is really nice! Turkey burgers, Caesar salad and ice cream were delicious and the little ones were relatively well-behaved (they didn’t break anything and didn’t throw tantrums!). They were super tired fell asleep easily… and I should also catch up on some sleep

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Day 8: Vancouver, British Columbia

We made it!!! 5143.2 km, three provinces and nine states later here we are in beautiful British Columbia.

We had an easy camping morning and headed out fairly early. We stopped once to use the bathroom and change diapers, but our goal was to be in Vancouver as early as possible to take advantage of the day. The border crossing was super easy and we arrived in Vancouver at around 12:30, just in time for lunch. We had a few hours to spare since our check in wasn’t until 3pm. We had lunch at a small place called Harvest Community Foods and then decided to walk around so the girls would nap. We are so lucky to be staying so close to the water! We walked close to the science place and then checked in to our Airbnb. The guy renting the place is very nice and the apartment is small but perfect for our stay! We then met with our good friends M&K for dinner on the patio at the Tap and Barrel. We had a corner couch seat that was just perfect to catch up, eat, drink and watch the sunset on. I can’t wait to discover more of this beautiful city!

Side note: Z still isn’t asleep and it’s 10pm - for those who know me well, you’ll know how exceptional this is, but being on vacation and not having a schedule is kind of awesome! I do hope she goes to sleep soon though!

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Best park ever and our camping setup

Best park ever and our camping setup

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Day 7: Lake Easton State Park, Washington

Today was both the best and worst day! I’d say our stops were the best so far, but the car ride was harder. You can tell it’s been seven days and everyone is getting the equivalent of cabin fever (car fever?).

We got up after our best sleep yet; camping sleep is the best! It was starting to drizzle so instead of a camping breakfast (oatmeal) we treated ourselves to Starbucks.

The first part of the trip actually went smoothly. If you’re wondering, here’s what we do in the car:
Listen to music
Listen to podcasts
Sing
Talk
Listen to stories
The girls play
Look for animals
Negotiate
Hand out snacks and eat them
Look for license plates
Look out the window
Tell Taco to sit
Play “I spy”

We stopped in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho for lunch at the most amazing park I’ve ever seen! There were different parts and the play structure was huge! And it was close to the water. We’ve also been very lucky with the weather and it was a great picnic.

The next leg of the trip was the worst! Both girls were due for a nap, A fell asleep but then something set Z off and she started screaming and woke A up. So they were both fussy for a while. They eventually fell asleep and it was ok after that. We had another time zone change which doesn’t help as it makes our days longer than they normally are, so we just keep driving and don’t realize instead of 3 or so hours it’s been 4 or so.

We found a nice state camping for the night, this is our third night of camping in a row! We’ve gotten really good at it. This campground is amazingly beautiful, calm and near a serene lake. Usually when we arrive, Husband sets up the tent and gets the camp stove started for dinner while I go to the park with the girls. Tonight I decided to switch things up and help start the fire for the camp stove. It went ok, but I don’t think I’d win in a Survivor fire challenge 😂

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Day 6: Missoula, Montana

There is something about camping that makes me sleep so well! I think it has to do with being close to the earth and following the sun’s rhythm more. We were up early (5:30am) as I had anticipated due to baby A, but we felt really well rested nonetheless.

I’ve been feeling so fortunate during this trip that our girls and dog are such good travelers. I’m also so happy my husband is my partner in this adventure, we work really well as a team.

I forgot to mention earlier about Z’s odd fear of dogs. It is so weird considering we have a dog, but she is terrified of all the dogs we meet, we have to hold her in our arms otherwise she has a big fit! I’m hoping it’s just a phase.

Aside from the amazing Montana scenery, we saw so many animals today!

Bison (ok that was yesterday but I forgot to mention it)
Cows
Sheep
Horses
Pigs
Deer
Heron
Geese
Falcon

The similarities and differences from doing this road trip when I was a kid and now is that now I get to choose when we stop, eat, etc. Not that it was bad when I was young, but being in control of the stops is fun! Also, having access to the Internet and GPS instead of using paper maps makes a huge difference! For all of our stops, I just use google maps to find a park and I zoom in to see if they have a playground, something I definitely couldn’t have done when I was a kid!

Today went smoothly, we stopped in Billings for a picnic lunch near a river, it was an amazing spot! We stopped again in Butte for a play in the park, ice cream and a few more groceries. We almost rain out of gas!!!! The dashboard said we had 10km left and we turned in to this old gas station and it said “out of gas” and we had to cross our fingers we’d get to the next one in time, but we did thankfully! It’s getting really late - I think the coffee milkshake I had earlier is keeping me up!

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Photo

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Day 5: Miles city, Montana

After breakfast with D, we went grocery shopping to get some food for our camping trip. We then drove to Bismarck, North Dakota for a picnic lunch and play in a park. It was a beautiful day, sunny and windy, and we all had a lot of fun! We then continued driving and stopped at a viewpoint of the badlands. It is truly amazing to see the scenery change. It is simply breathtaking! We saw many cows, horses and sheep today. We arrived in Miles City at around 4:30pm (we had another time zone change today and I’m hoping baby A doesn’t wake us all up at 4am like last time!). While the girls and I played in the park, husband pitched the tent and made dinner. Then I cleaned up, we played a bit more and are now all in the tent hoping to sleep well tonight (it is 7:30pm!).

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Visiting the Mall of America

Visiting the Mall of America

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Day 4: Fargo, North Dakota

What a wonderful day! We woke up crazy early (4:20am) because of baby A and the time change. We had breakfast at the restaurant and then headed to the Mall of America. First stop was the Disney store, then the Lego store, then we looked at the rides, but Z didn’t want to go on them. We spent a good half hour at the American Girl doll store; Z was overjoyed to be able to play with the dolls! Next we went to the Nickelodeon store and then back to the Lego store where we bought each girl a new Lego. We had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. Then we headed towards Fargo.

The drive went well. The scenery in Wisconsin and Minnesota is so beautiful. We saw many rolling hills, cows and horses. As we got closer to Fargo, the hills became prairies. We saw our first accident in 2500km 😢. We also saw a train from afar, we could see the locomotive and the caboose at the same time, it was really cool!

It was so nice to see D, my husband’s sister’s husband’s mother. She was a wonderful hostess! We first played in the park and then had dinner. I wanted to stay up to catch up, but the early wake up had me exhausted and I fell asleep when I put the girls to bed. This is also why I didn’t post last night!

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Day 3: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Four states in one day today! Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. We got off to a rough start as the fire wouldn’t get going. It had rained so the wood we found was too wet and would smoke instead of igniting. We found a cute cafe and had a breakfast that filled our hungry tummies and helped us be patient. The first leg of our trip went really well - the girls slept for about an hour and then were easily entertained with the toys I packed for them.

We stopped in a Panera near(ish) Chicago for lunch.

The next leg of the trip was the longest yet - over four hours! It went surprisingly well, again the girls were entertained and then slept, I also have a plentiful stash of snacks to keep them going. We stopped in a (creepy horror-movie-style) small town to get gas and let the girls and the dog play at the park for a bit.

The last two-hour leg of the trip was the hardest. They were both hungry and the toddler (Miss Z) threw her toys a few times. Finally we made it to Minneapolis and had dinner and we are ready for bed in a hotel tonight. We are super excited to discover the Mall of America tomorrow!

Oh also, the hubby and I started looking for different license plates and we found 32 today (plus 3 Canadian ones)!

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